


between us and the stars

by missdulcerosea



Category: Made in Abyss (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Holding Hands, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Canon, but other than that this is a squeaky clean fic, very mild references to vaguely implied abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22949590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missdulcerosea/pseuds/missdulcerosea
Summary: Belaf decides to observe the setting sun in a rare moment of leisure. Wazukyan observes with him.
Relationships: Belaf/Wazukyan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	between us and the stars

The boat rocks back and forth against the waters, so different from the storms that tossed them about mere hours earlier that same day. Belaf peers out beyond the deck, watching the sun sink below the horizon bit by bit - the sky’s painted red which is a sign of smooth sailing tomorrow, the first stars that begin to shine droplets of paint on the canvas. It’s different from home where he could only see what small crack of sky wasn’t blotted out by the bright lights of his town or obscured through the slats of the window. Here he can see everything.

“I had a feeling you’d still be awake.” The voice is soft but deep. Though Belaf still grasps hold of the deck to look out at the dying sunlight sparkling on the ocean he hears Wazukyan’s footsteps creaking on the wooden floorboards of their ship. He still doesn’t move his eyes away from the sunset, so slow but so full of color and full of _life_ and vibrancy he thought he’d never see, but he knows that Wazukyan’s leaning on the deck next to him.

“I wanted to watch the sunset. Care to join me?”

There’s quiet for a few moments, a silence that weighs down on the air. Belaf has to shift his position against the deck when he feels his legs begin to ache, but the sight of the colors slowly fading from red and gold and purple into a deep, dark blue and the stars dotting the clear night sky keeps him there - it’s a magnet for him. The foamy ocean waves lap quietly at the boat as it continues its path.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It certainly is - look, if you examine the sky carefully enough, you’ll see the stars.” Belaf traces his finger along a path, outlining the first thread of stars he recognizes. “That’s Anka, the turtle constellation.”

“And I believe that’s Meiro, the firebird.” Wazukyan gestures a gloved hand up at what looks like a jumble of stars to the ordinary eye. “In the firebird’s ‘eye’ is Cala, the second brightest star in the galaxy.”

“And the first one…” Belaf trails off, because he knows that Wazukyan will be able to tell him - that’s something about him, he’ll make guesses that everyone realizes may not be completely far away from the truth in the end.

“Is Rea. To the east.” 

They have their silence, the only noise splitting through it being the rhythmic rolling waves of the ocean.

There are parts of Belaf’s life before the Ganja corps he doesn’t care to remember - it’s all split up into shards, and if he moves too close to observe the broken pieces that remain he’ll cut himself. But he’ll remember enough about life before the Ganja corps, when he had just Wazukyan to rely on. They know each other like the stars - with one another they can peel back the frontmost layers other people see.

“You’ve said before that beauty is in the eyes,” Wazukyan says.

“Yes, but not in the way you think. It’s in the way you look back, no matter how much you’re pushed down. What matters is that you’ve got someone to help you get back up again.”

A gloved hand clasps hold of Belaf’s and squeezes tight. By now the sun has vanished, leaving a sky dripping with stars that twinkle white so far away. He’s always been the one to glare back - he wants to show the world what light exists, but not blind them with it. It’s no easy task, but he and Wazukyan have one another.

“Well, I’m truly glad to have you to help me get up again.”

The night is dark, but the stars can light their way - even if it’s only for a little while. Belaf smiles.

“And I’m glad I have you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm well aware this isn't nearly as popular of a ship as riko/reg or ozen/lyza, but i've always liked what little we'd seen of belaf and wazukyan when they were human, and i would have really liked to see more of their interactions. even if i did intend for this fic to be romantic, i think that what little we know about them prior to their reaching the sixth layer is interesting potential.
> 
> there's this sort of unspoken mutual understanding they have, especially that belaf has of wazukyan, and it lends itself to interesting potential - romantic OR platonic. still, it was a bit hard to write them considering just how complicated they are. i tried to capture human belaf's intense but still very kind personality, as well as wazukyan's perceptive yet laid back attitude, too.
> 
> by the way, i made up the constellation names.
> 
> thanks very much for reading! please take care <3


End file.
